Page 18 of Rust the Rejected
She freezes at my words.
I cock my head to the side to glimpse her face. But her hair covers it like a silky curtain. The bitter odor of fear rises in my nostrils. It overrides her arousal. What the fuck?!
“Natalie?”
Suddenly, she bucks her head. It crashes into my nose. Bone shatters as blood gushes. I stumble backwards and lose my hold on her. She slips to her feet and rounds on me. Onyx eyes flash.
“I reject you as my fated mate! I want no parts of you! Keep away from me!” She screams, then bolts for the door.
My hand flings out to grab her, but she wrenches to the side and evades my grasp. The door jerks open. She glares at me over her shoulder.
“I REJECT YOU, RUST INGOLF!”
She darts out the door. It slams shut. The sound of her feet pounding on the floor fades with the distance she puts between us. The thread that binds us snaps.
I throw my head back and howl in anguish, uncaring about the humans outside the door blood dripping down my front. My enhanced healing will repair my nose. But what about my broken heart?
* * *
Natalie
I panic.
Pure adrenaline drives me to the max. I run like the hounds of Hell chase me. Too scared Rust will follow me, I skip waiting for an elevator and head for the staircase. I hurtle down three steps at a time until I land on the ground floor. A peek through the door’s window confirms Rust isn’t lurking around, waiting to drag me away and claim me as his fated mate.
Fated mate!
Just my rotten luck the moment my suppression serum wears off, I stumble across a wolf shifter who’s my fated mateanda doctor in the same hospital as me. GAH!
I yank the door open and rush out of the hospital, heading for the safety of my car.
But it’s Dr. McDreamy…
I ignore my inner voice and my wolf, who howls in anguish. Most of all, I ignore the agony in my heart. To reject a fated mate bond is akin to ripping your heart out with your bare hands. The bond severs. But the pain can last forever. Or drive the male into madness. My forehead drops to the steering wheel.
The ring of my mobile startles me. I scramble inside my crossbody bag to retrieve the device. For a second I think it’s Rust. But he doesn’t have my number. Thank the gods! I check the screen. The number for the OB-GYN department flashes.
I glance at the time. Dammit! I’m late for the staff meeting.
“H—Hello?”
“Natalie, the meeting started. Are you on your way?” Paloma Sabela asks.
My mind reels. If I go back inside the hospital, there’s a chance Rust will track me to my office. As much as I don’t want to face him, I have no choice but to go. And then what? How can I work in the same place as him and risk him claiming me despite my rejection?
I shudder as flashes of Sam and Amanda, then him turning to me, run through my mind. No way can I allow myself to be forced into a mating. I have no other choice.
With a heavy heart, I tell Paloma Sabela I need to speak with the head of the department after the meeting. She’s surprised but agrees to let him know. After we end the call, I gather my strength and return to the hospital. I slip into the conference room and take a seat in the rear.
“Dr. Moore, you wish to speak with me?”
“Yes, Dr. Wright. Unfortunately, I have an emergency that requires me to leave Miami. I—I—”
My voice cracks. I swallow past the lump in my throat as tears fill my eyes. I hang my head, defeated.
“Dr. Moore, I’m sorry to hear that and to see you so upset. I hope everything works out,” he says, then pauses.
I lift my gaze as I dab my eyes. He offers me a fatherly smile.
